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Wed. 2/13/13 3:11pm
Irwin:
KG: "After ten books of quotidian compilations, an unexpected thing happened: I began to tire of the everyday. After all, the job of retyping the entire internet could go on forever, driving me to seek a new line of investigation."

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Wed. 2/13/13 3:14pm
Matt from Springfield:
Should I get a copy of "Seven American Deaths and Disasters" now, or wait until a future expanded edition? Too bad he just missed Newtown and its news coverage to transcribe--that was a great instance of describing something they never thought they'd have to describe...completely unprepared and in their speech, you can hear this. It's stunning...a sense of things spinning out of control: facts blurred with speculation as the broadcasters attempted to furiously weave convincing narratives from shards of half-truths.

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Wed. 2/13/13 3:15pm
Matt from Springfield:
Btw, out of respect for Kenny G (and the difficulty of properly quoting and excerpting that passage from the article, I plagiarized it w/o quotation. You're welcome.

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Wed. 2/13/13 3:29pm
Irwin:
KG: "The [UPenn] students that take my class know how to write. I can hone their skills but instead choose to challenge them to think in new and different ways. They know how to plagiarize but they do it on the sly, hoping not to get caught. In my class, they must plagiarize or they will be penalized. They are not allowed to be original or creative."

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Wed. 2/13/13 3:43pm
Matt from Springfield:
@glenn: I'd heard of that grill before, wanted to stop in maybe once in a lifetime--going there *every* day?? Yeah, pretty predictable obituary for those mascots...!

Wed. 2/13/13 3:44pm
Katya Oddio:
Was he really the first to die of that menu? Guessing there were many more, but perhaps less obvious.

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Wed. 2/13/13 3:46pm
Caryn:
I think that would be the perfect restaurant to visit if I knew I was dying anyway. Live it up! Of course, even in that case, I'd probably prefer to go to that Toronto place that serves burgers where the hamburger bun halves are two fried cheese sandwiches.

You could call that "Leaving Las Vegas: Advert Edit". Instead of a 90 minute movie w/ Nic Cage, the person would go to Vegas, go to the Heart Attack Grill, and....they're dead by the end of the commercial!

Wed. 2/13/13 3:54pm
Robin The Fog:
Oh, IRWIN!!!! MY FAVOURITE SONG! MY FAVOURITE GROUCH!!! And in an condition that Oscar would have approved of! I feel you're playing it JUST FOR ME!! Greetings from swinging London x

Wed. 2/13/13 3:54pm
Denise in DC:
I think this will be my theme song for Valentine's Day this year.

Wed. 2/13/13 3:59pm
Robin The Fog:
Howdy, Matt! Yep, still fancying the felt, I'm afraid! Once Irwin has finished with us, let's all enjoy this trip to the Cookie Disco: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUkoLMbeuoQ

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Wed. 2/13/13 4:18pm
Caryn:
Speaking of the Oscar the Grouch song, we had to translate Muppet songs as part of our "Translating Children's Programming" course. Oh man, I still remember my song...

Wed. 2/13/13 4:18pm
Robin The Fog:
Ah, good old In-N-Out. Got to get back and get me some of that. I never thought I'd ever see Biblical quotes hidden on the bottom of a styrofoam cup. What a world! @Matt - Have yourself some Sesame FUNK!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PLsYSTRHDg

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Wed. 2/13/13 4:22pm
Irwin:
KG: "What is boring? I find narrative boring. I find truth boring. I once wrote an essay called 'Being Boring' where I claim to be the most boring writer who has ever lived. I can't even read my own books--I keep falling asleep. But they're great to talk about and think about. So we need to redefine our relationship to boring."

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Wed. 2/13/13 4:23pm
rrg:
Did I just hear a Tiny Tim sample in there?

Wed. 2/13/13 4:23pm
Denise in DC:
Ah, Esperanto. Anyone other than me ever see Shatner's all-Esperanto movie, from back before Star Trek? A don't-miss for fans of the obscure.

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Wed. 2/13/13 4:25pm
rrg:
I guess it's reasonable to learn Finnish if you live in Finland. I'll grant you that.

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Wed. 2/13/13 4:25pm
Caryn:
@Denise: yes indeed. When he was mocked for it at his roast, it was a joy. Of course, coming as I do from the Esperanto-lovers' paradise that is Finland, "Incubus" is an irresistible treat.

Wed. 2/13/13 4:32pm
Robin The Fog:
@Matt Couldn't have said it better, old boy! Got fired for teaching children self-confidence, positivity and looking out for each other! Ever heard his equal-rights classic 'A Bear Eats Bear Food'? Though I imagine nobody objected to him teaching the days of the week!

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Wed. 2/13/13 4:32pm
Matt from Springfield:
@glenn: And that "While we still have health care" poster at Dangerous Dan's. Just one more year, and we can have that poster here!!!

Wed. 2/13/13 4:51pm
G:
Oulipo is a literary movement, for those interested...

Wed. 2/13/13 4:54pm
Robin The Fog:
@Caryn @Matt - This is INCREDIBLE! I was worried he was going to fade into obscurity, preserved only on scratchy vinyl and grainy youtube clips, but here's HERE in the digital age! I am VERY happy about this! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

Wed. 2/13/13 5:03pm
G:
@Matt: They're all like that. I think the last one I actually saw was 1980something.,

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:03pm
Irwin:
KG: "The new creativity is pointing, not making."

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:04pm
Matt from Springfield:
@Irwin: The Muppets have invaded today's playlist! Thanks for inviting them in with the Oscar clip! ;) (I think your bright orange color has a lot to do with it, as well).

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:23pm
Matt from Springfield:
@Irwin: Do listeners get an autographed photo of your scab, for Mouse of Today pledges this year?

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:23pm
Caryn:
@Matt: I need to get it on DVD. The only thing is, since the show differed from region to region, I suspect the version I'd get on the DVD would be very different from the one I remember seeing as a child.

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:23pm
Ken From Hyde Park:
I was busy with work tasks and kind of noticed that Irwin was playing something that seemed special. Checked the playist and I see Miles Davis. Nice!

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:24pm
Irwin:
"Right Off" is like six tracks in one. It's a complete set. Teo Macero did the segues.

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:25pm
Matt from Springfield:
@Caryn: Finnish dubbed? Doc and Sprocket in the workshop, or one of the Euro variants with Sprocket? On the '87 doco made for FR's wrap-up, they show the clip of a song, blending into every language it was recorded in--I remember Finnish was one of them.

Wed. 2/13/13 5:25pm
Robin The Fog:
@Caryn, @Matt - The lighthouse used in the Fraggle Rock title sequence can now be rented out as a holiday cottage. Sadly no Sprocket, though... http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses/lighthouse_list/st_anthonys.html?tab=cottages

Wed. 2/13/13 5:26pm
Denise in DC:
I think I was 15 when Sesame Street hit the airwaves. Didn't stop me from watching though.

Wed. 2/13/13 5:28pm
G:
I remember the first drive-by shooting on Sesame Street, back during the crack thing.

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:29pm
Matt from Springfield:
@Robin: Wasn't that "the Captain", in the UK version?
That would be cool to rent though!

For more physical locations to feel in touch with Fraggle Rock, you can go visit the limestone Crystal Caves of Bermuda, or the beach at Cantus Cove in California (muppet.wikia.com...).

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:29pm
Caryn:
@Matt: yeah, it was dubbed (unlike Muppet Show), but that's not what I mean. It's the location where the tunnel leads. It wasn't the lighthouse, but I don't think it was the workshop either. I remember a brownish office with a desk and a typewriter. And the dog.

Wed. 2/13/13 5:31pm
Robin The Fog:
@Matt Now, you're asking me! I wasn't even sure if he had a name! I never paid much attention to any of the 'people' in a Muppet series. It was all about the felt, as far as I was concerned! I realise now that people are people too...

Wed. 2/13/13 5:33pm
G:
So that makes that Miles track an honorary proto-prog track

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:33pm
Matt from Springfield:
@Caryn: Hmm, the French version featured a kitchen and chef, the German was something different..almost seems like the German framing device, dubbed to Finnish.

@Denise: And why should it! That early stuff was downright psychedelic! :D

Wed. 2/13/13 5:35pm
G:
Sounds like today is the birthday of the Free Zinger Archive (creative commons license and all)

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:35pm
Caryn:
@Matt: the German and US versions both had the workshop. Based on the description on the Muppet wiki, that's the version we had too.

Wed. 2/13/13 5:35pm
rasmus:
the boxset exits! my brother in law owns it

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:36pm
Matt from Springfield:
C'mon Irwin, you know you guys were made for each other!! Ferry, cross the Hudson, and make it 4EVAH!!!!

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:39pm
glenn:
zingers were more fun before the f.s., i gotta say.

Wed. 2/13/13 5:40pm
Droll:
The 7SD stunt sounds dangerous -- what happens when it's proven the listeners are funnier than whats-his-name? I predict a power struggle and Twitter flame war between the ghostwriter's union and ghost-ghostwriter's unions.

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:40pm
Matt from Springfield:
As for which Muppet Kenny G resembles, hard to say. If Gonzo had a mustache, I'd say he would kinda look like Kenny--certainly acts as manic as Kenny!

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Wed. 2/13/13 5:42pm
Matt from Springfield:
@Caryn: He wanted some head protection, as he plays "Flight of the Bumble Bee" on his violin while eating it and reading transcripts of JFK assassination news reports.

Wed. 2/13/13 5:43pm
G:
The Matador site press release is dated just this past Monday